An in-line valve for attachment to a garden hose coupling is described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,082,209 of the present inventor. Such a valve may have an end fitting that enables it to be screwed onto a typical male coupling at the end of a common garden hose, familiarly made of fabric reinforced rubber or thermoplastic. The patented valve has internal parts, including a central plug and a shuttle that moves fore-aft lengthwise relative to the plug. An objective of the present invention is to attach to the end of a garden hose such kind of valve, as well as to attach other valves.
FIG. 1 shows a typical way in which a coupling 120 has been attached to a garden hose 130, to help illustrate the problem being solved. A fitting on the end of a garden hose, shaped to enable connection of the hose to another hose having a mating reciprocal fitting, is familiarly referred to as a coupling, as it is in this description. (At the same time, the word coupling is used to describe an assembly to two mated fittings, each at the end of a separate piece of hose.)
Coupling 120, which typically is made of brass, has first end 122 that comprises a conventional garden hose male thread. Opposing second end 124 comprises an integral outer wall 126, within which is received the exterior of the end of a portion of a length of rubber or plastic garden hose 130. The coupling has been attached to the hose in the following familiar manner: The end of the garden hose 130 is first inserted into the concavity of wall 126. A ferrule 128 (also called an eyelet or a sleeve) is inserted into the bore of the hose. A bore-swaging tool, often referred to as an internal swage is then inserted into the bore 132 of the fitting from coupling end 122, so the tool working parts reach vicinity of end 124. Then, in a swaging operation carried out by the internal swage (not shown), ferrule 128 is plastically deformed radially outwardly toward the wall 126. Typically, during such an operation, wall 126 is not supported, but it could be supported within a ring-like outer tool. The resultant permanent deformation of the inner wall mechanically and frictionally captures the hose on end 124 of coupling 120. Now, a valve or other device such as a familiar hand held hose spray nozzle may be screw-attached to the threaded end 112 of the coupling.
For marketing and cost reduction purposes, rather than the just-mentioned conventional practice of having a valve attached to a coupling it would be desirable to attach a valve or other device directly to the end of a hose a valve, and perhaps irremovably so. However, attaching of a patented valve or like valve having internal flow path parts can not be accomplished by use of the conventional swaging procedure that was just described. With change in design of the coupling, so there is an integral inner wall and an exterior sleeve, it would be possible to swage the sleeve, but there is an appearance preference in not doing that.
Means of attaching a valve to the end of a hose which do not involve swaging, for instance using adhesive or using some sort of thread attachment are considered less desirable alternatives. Swaging is attractive for its rapidity of manufacture, assurance of obtaining a durable connection, a minimally increased exterior diameter relative to the hose diameter, and esthetics of finished product.